Family food culture, local food memories, workers’ table stories, and personal relationships with food.
Grandpa was the fourth child in his family. Born in 1933, he lost his mother in early childhood and his father in his youth, weathering famine and disaster. He was always a farmer, though he also worked at one stage as a cotton carder. In his final years, he dreamed…
In 2016, I had a few rather unsuccessful shopping trips to Sanyuanli Market. I only recently made my way back, drawn by the exhibition and the urge to check in, only to find it had long since settled on its new identity: an art scene. Seven years on, Sanyuanli has…
Foodthink Says While at the Harvest Celebration in Guangzhou, our editorial team will host a panel on pre-prepared meals and local produce at 10:30 on Sunday, 3 December. One of our guests, Doudou, is a kitchen enthusiast renowned for her homemade pre-prepared dishes. She shared her journey and a meticulous,…
I. The Beginning In 2018, in a scattered village in Hong Kong’s New Territories that was slated for demolition at any moment, I baked my very first sourdough loaf using a jar of fermented dough I had just received from a friend. Looking back, it barely fermented at all. It…
Foodthink Voices Foodthink has organised several reading groups focused on fermentation. While selecting books for these sessions, we realised: fermentation culture is thriving in international foodie circles, so why hasn’t it taken off here? This sentiment echoes the views of the fermentation publishing professionals featured in this article: China is…
Foodthink’s Take Fermented sour chillies are a traditional Chinese delicacy, particularly cherished in the southern provinces. While regional variations each boast their own distinct character and the accompanying ingredients may differ slightly, the method and underlying fermentation principle remain broadly the same: salt is used to create a favourable environment…
You may have heard of homemade pickles, kimchi or kombucha, which seem to have become the latest craze among young people. In truth, you might never have considered that fermented foods are actually a staple in our kitchens. Whether it is soy sauce, vinegar, wine, cheese, miso or fermented bean…
I. The mere mention of fermentation always conjures up visions of rich, deeply flavoured foods. Yet rather than a culinary craft, it is better understood as a gift from nature. Through generations of accumulated knowledge, humans have learned to gently adjust external factors like temperature, working in harmony with natural…
As noted in the first instalment of the *Woren Valley Food Philosophy* series, a single pot of soup for White Dew calls for ten ingredients, nine of which are homegrown. I champion “self-sufficiency” as the ideal for valley life. On paper, our self-sufficiency rate appears to sit at a lofty…
Early autumn finally brought Evil Man Valley its first entirely self-reliant harvest since the community began. The emphasis on “self-reliant” is deliberate: it means handling every detail personally, from transplanting the seedlings to cutting the crop, managing the entire process single-handedly. I moved into Evil Man Valley in June…
